Randillusion

Dates of Entries

As social commentary goes; we get to stand on a podium and shout out our disgust–so for a new low–I have to discuss a new reality series that makes one want to hurl chunks, perhaps from past athletica bolemia battles or present alcoholic overdoses, but more than likely over the new generational loss of self esteem. And I am not a proponent of the “self esteem” propaganda that brought North American academic scores to a new low back in the 80s and 90s–that, was just bad schooling practices.

I’m talking about the self esteem one should have in the early flower of youth when one can look in the mirror and see some sort of benefit to being who you are–as nature created you.

This new television series, called Bridalplasty, is not only distasteful to watch as each new episode’s winner gets to undergo some unnecessary elective surgery–they get to lay back and heal from their surgical wounds–while gossiping about the character of each of the girls who become “bottom brides,” because of contests of taste, fashion or style. C’mon, girls, why don’t you get on your bikes and ride? Freddie Mercury, of Queen, c’mon you can remember–the little bisexual fellow with the big voice? Even the showman of the ages might laugh at the ludicrous lengths these girls, many of whom are absolutely gorgeous just the way nature made them, will go to acquire the “perfect wedding day.” Poor Freddie didn’t care about his overbite–he just let the show go on.

Even the hostess tells the eliminated bride of each succeeding episode that “she will not have the perfect wedding–tho’ her wedding day will come.” That final farewell might be enough for one of these girls to jump off a bridge and not into matrimony. From Wikipedia we read, “A 2007 Swedish and US longitudinal study found that women who get cosmetic breast implants are nearly three times as likely to commit suicide as other women. No notable increase was seen in the first 10 years after surgery, but 10 to 19 years after, risk was 4.5 times higher, and six times higher after 20 years, compared with the expected suicide rate.”

Is it not enough that we have to watch these easy to produce, cheap replacements to good story writing, television series without having to watch young brides-to-be battle it out for the most surgery in these social Darwinistic showdowns? Survivor, Biggest Loser, American Idol and all of the rest of these “survival of the fittest” serials are not helping our society.

It has become a dog-eat-dog world on “reality” television and now it’s biyatch on biyatch bride in a pursuit of percieved perfection? Someone needs to counsel these poor girls about the droopy paths that overblown, plastic breasts will take as they reach into poverty and can’t get back on some game show for the reconstructive surgery after a few years pass them by.

Honestly, body sculpting, shaping and improvement can occur with a little hard work in a gym, on a hiking path or in a pool. Get some shape by working out instead of requiring some high-paid surgeon who has no interest in saving lives, but rather in making a mighty dollar quicker.

The world we live in has changed. We may find it difficult to blindly be patriots to our countries…we have become patriots to our planet. The lines we have drawn with borders may have worked up until now, but they no longer seem to be working to a progressive intent.

The planet is running out of resources no matter how deep we drill. My evidences of that are the oil burning in the Gulf of Mexico, the volcano in Iceland (or course, that’s a natural drilling) and the drilling for human blood in Afghanistan and Iraq (and other places not publicized by the news media).

It is time to take stock in what we believe our planet, and human beings, need. Does it really need the black lines that human beings have drawn, or does it need a revolution?

My friends we should be proud of the place that we were born…but how many of our planet’s citizenry are not? We should know that there is a safety net for each of us as we strive for our calling, our success…our fulfillment.

For me, I was born in a northern town, moved to a big city, got educated…moved to a foreign city called Pasadena…got an education…then I moved back to a northern city…then moved back to the Los Angeles basin for a time…worked as an apprentice…then moved to a foreign northern city…worked hard as a carpenter, had a family, enjoyed the middle years of a person’s life…then went through a spiritual, personal crises…then moved again to a northern small city.

That’s when I started writing, and thinking, and realizing how much humankind still has to learn.

We still don’t have it right. This country thing though…it has to be rectified. Patriotism is the beginning of war…think about it.

One country goes to war and its citizens say, “It is my patriotic duty to serve my country.”

It has never ceased to amaze me when citizens of America complain about socialist nations. “We Capitalists brought down the Soviet Union…the greatest socialistic demagogue in history.”

This statement is simply untrue. The Soviet Union collapsed from within through bad management, bad production, poor communication (that is too much secrecy between government and the people), small wars, apathy and a weak ruble. Yes, the competitions of the arms and space races with the United States were part of the puzzle, but isn’t America suffering from bad management during the course of the last 2 decades? How about the present strength of the dollar? Is America in an expensive small war(s)? Aren’t those who don’t learn from the past doomed to repeat catastrophic events? Hmmm, let’s think about that?

America has firemen, policemen, social security, labor unions, welfare and medicare. Are not each and every one of these organizations part of a socialized scheme…ummm, a very real capitalistic socialism?

In the excerpt below an analyst is quoted after the fall of the Soviet Union.

“What has been learned? Perhaps the best analysis is that of Joe Slovo, writing from the standpoint of the South African Communist Party which played a leading role in the revolutionary victory over apartheid. In his famous 1989 article, Slovo argues that socialism itself has not failed, but that it must develop a real democracy, including for “all citizens the basic rights and freedoms of organisation, speech, thought, press, movement, residence, conscience and religion; full trade union rights for all workers including the right to strike, and one person one vote in free and democratic elections.” To this list one needs to add the free flow of honest information. These are all basic principles of a culture of peace and are incompatible with a culture of war.”

These are socialist writers analyzing the collapse of socialism. Are the answers to curing the ills of the Soviet failures not the same answers for curing the soon-coming and present ills of American capitalism? The Soviets built an industrial military complex that couldn’t sustain itself. Does the United States of America not have an industrial military structure that can no longer be sustained by the American taxpayer? NASA is becoming more privatized in this decade. The military budget of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan…1.05 Trillion dollars…go to http://www.nationalpriorities.org/costofwar_home to see these numbers rising.

Last night I watched an Arizonan senator accuse a U. S. president of having “divided loyalties” because the senator didn’t believe that Barak Obama was born in Hawaii. The senator claimed he couldn’t believe anything that he saw through the worldwide web, ergo…Barak Obama is from Kenya.

What the hell is that?

Stupid, on top of blind…added to dumb with dumberer? Weren’t the credentials of the world’s “most powerful man on the planet” checked out before he even began to run for the highest office in the land? I think so. What point am I trying to make here? Now we’re seeing poor communication between government and the people in America. I could go on…but I won’t.

So with a rising national debt, poor communication, a shrinking dollar, mismanagement of governmental representatives (oathed to office to do “for the people”) and poor production/services becoming ever more prevalent in America’s present reality are we about to see a collapse of capitalism that will certainly be as dramatic, if not more so, as the Soviet Union’s collapse…and for the same reasons? You can answer that and vocalize your opinions.

Recently New Yorker editor David Remnick wrote a biography of America’s not white enough…not black enough president, Barak Obama. The book is entitled The Bridge. I would offer up a hope that America’s present leader can bridge the apparent gap of polar extremes between the left-wing Democrats and right-wing Republicans. America’s push for success must start first with a culture of peace requiring that each side move to the center of the cube and start pushing towards a direction that they both can agree upon.

Don’t you just love this? Quiet…peaceful…serene Sarah Palin trying to get a tan with no interruption…gently bathing by the stream and celebrating her complete embrace on femininity, grace and elegance. Now, IF…IF…this was the real Sarah Palin…would she make an incredible President in 2012? Let’s see if we can understand who Sarah Palin really is. I thank FreakingNews.com for this lovely portrait. Sarah Unveiled?

I was going to draw a caricature of Ms. Palin with a nuclear weapon tucked under her arm with the caption, “Sarah Palin discovers her new firearm of choice.” I reconsidered after googling Photoshop Sarah Palin and found this gorgeous pose of a woman we really need to fear…she’s dangerous.

Can you imagine Ms. Palin being the leader of the free world? Can you see her diplomatically discussing the future of Afghanistan with wisdom, kindness and gentleness? Could Sarah Palin be the president that keeps to the Oval Office motto, “The Buck Stops Here?” Do you think President Karzai would even give her an audience? I don’t know…just asking a few questions.

One pundit on CNN last week. “Sarah Palin is the best weapon the democrats have in winning re-election for Barak Obama in 2012.”

John McCain couldn’t keep her on a leash. Newt Gingrich spoke of being the party of yes in the Republican Convention being held in New Orleans and Ms. Palin does an about face saying she sees “nothing wrong with being the party of ‘NO!’”

I do not believe she even knows what will come out of her mouth next. Loose Cannon? Do you think?

Sarah Palin stands to make anywhere between 10 and 20 million dollars this year from her various book, television and speaking deals. This is a very shrewd woman when it comes to making money for her family. She knew that completing her final term as governor in Alaska would not be as lucrative as striking while the iron is hot and stumping America for all its worth. So Sarah Palin is fiscally focussed when it comes to her own family’s income. That is a fact.

However, during her run at the vice presidency her own party criticized her for being uneducated, a shopaholic, geographically challenged, along with other unattractive labels that will continue to crop up from her opponents and cohorts alike. Ms. Palin is not a chameleon…anyone that can urge the Republicans on with statements like, “Don’t Retreat…RELOAD!” will surely set off a wave of verbal, if not physical, assaults in the not too distant future. She is a forty-something, middle American with an agenda for success…That is Sarah Palin.

The questions that Americans are going to have to ask?

What is Sarah Palin’s definition of success? Victory at all costs is probably the correct answer…her own personal victory.

Does she want to lead America into a fiscally responsible position where the interest accrued every three minutes on the national debt isn’t $18 million? Does she simply want the media attention that sabre rattling creates…much like Ann Coulter…but with a lower level of intellectual banter? Does Sarah Palin have an actual agenda? No…she doesn’t.

Sarah Palin is the embodiment of the ultra mom hangover that continues to invade the 21st century. She is Stepford wife2.0. She is Annie Oakley with a WMD tucked over her shoulder. You watch! This cliché of Uber Matron is going to blow something up…besides her own delusional ego…and if her continued rhetoric of firearm fury doesn’t set off some home grown terrorist militia to take some sort of ridiculous action against an administration that is trying to clean up a mess that has been forty years in its development I would be very surprised.